Skip to content

J06

Non-Billable (Header)

Acute upper respiratory infections of multiple and unspecified sites

Last updated: FY2026 ICD-10-CM (Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026) | CMS-HCC V28 (100% phase-in, PY2026)

What This Code Means

J06 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for acute upper respiratory infections of multiple and unspecified sites. J06 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for diseases of the respiratory system (j00-j99), within the section covering acute upper respiratory infections (j00-j06).

Header codes like J06 cannot be reported on claims directly — they organize child codes that share clinical context but the actual diagnosis must be coded to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation. Coders should look at J06's child codes and select the one that matches the patient's documented presentation, since payers reject header codes submitted as the primary diagnosis. For risk adjustment workflows, header codes never contribute to a Medicare Advantage member's RAF score on their own; only billable child codes that happen to map to a payment HCC affect risk-adjusted plan payments.

HCC Buddy maintains structured V28 and V24 mapping, RAF weights, and MEAT documentation criteria for J06 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Excludes 1 — Do NOT code together

  • acute respiratory infection NOS (J22)
  • influenza virus with other respiratory manifestations (J09.X2, J10.1, J11.1)
  • streptococcal pharyngitis (J02.0)

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

J06Acute upper respiratory infections of multiple and unspecified sites
J06Acute upper respiratory infections of multiple and unspecified sites

More on J06

Referenced in blog posts

Open J06 in the Interactive Encoder

See full code details, AI coding tips, HCC mappings, and related codes in our interactive encoder. Start your 14-day Pro trial — no credit card required.

J06 ICD-10 Code: Acute upper respiratory | HCC Buddy